Note: This is an updated version of a post originally published on May 28, Share this link:. Angelina E. Theodorou is a former research analyst focusing on religion at Pew Research Center. Key findings about restrictions on religion around the world in Are you a Faith and Flag Conservative? Progressive Left? Or somewhere in between? Take our quiz to find out. Take our quiz to find out which one of our nine political typology groups is your best match.
Follow Us. In Greece, a blogger who created a Facebook page poking fun at a revered Greek Orthodox monk was sentenced to 10 months in prison in after being found guilty of blasphemy. Thousands of Greeks took to social media sites to protest the arrest of Filippos Loizos, 28, who used a play on words to portray Father Paisios as a traditional pasta-based dish.
Indeed, Greek courts are not averse to using the blasphemy law in the case of satirists — and not necessarily only Greek ones. In , Austrian cartoonist Gerhard Haderer's depiction of Christ as a naked pot-smoking surfer provoked a six-month suspended sentence for the artist in absentia.
He too was later acquitted on appeal. Art is often the cause of blasphemy court cases in Italy, where the current law punishes public offences to religion. In the book, Fallaci was alleged to have made 18 blasphemous statements, including referring to Islam as "a pool that never purifies".
She was charged with violating a law that forbids defamatory statements about a religion acknowledged by the Italian state. The trial never concluded as Fallaci died from breast cancer during its proceedings. In Denmark in , a man who posted a video of himself burning the Koran on Facebook only narrowly avoided trial when politicians abolished a centuries-old blasphemy law.
Poland, an overwhelmingly Catholic country, has a legal provision against publicly offending a person's religious feelings rather than a distinct blasphemy law. This carries the potential of up to two years in prison. Recommended Everything you need to know about the Irish presidential election The former Irish president fighting for climate justice for the world Why abortion remains illegal in Northern Ireland. More about Ireland blasphemy Blasphemy referendum Religion. Already subscribed? Log in.
Forgotten your password? Want an ad-free experience? View offers. It ranks countries according to their record in four categories: constitution and the government; education and children's rights; society and community; and expression and advocacy of humanist values. Those with the gravest violations in each category tend to be in the Middle East and Africa — along with China, where the government is currently clamping down severely on religious expression.
National Secular Society spokesperson Chris Sloggett said: "Blasphemy and apostasy laws are always an affront to the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and belief, and are never justifiable. Politicians must face global pressure to repeal these unjust laws. And they should lead by example by promoting free speech on religion as a positive value and the separation of religion and politics at home. Humanists International president Andrew Copson said repealing blasphemy and apostasy laws "must be a priority".
He added that doing so would "begin to de-legitimise the religious extremism that threatens so many societies across so much of the planet". Discuss on Facebook. Our news and opinion content is an important part of our campaigns work. Many articles involve a lot of research by our campaigns team.
If you value this output, please consider supporting us today. Tags: Blasphemy , Freedom of Expression. Read More. We campaign for the law and the administration of justice to be based on equality, respect for human rights, and on objective evidence. Public services that are intended for the whole community, especially those funded by public money, should be provided in a secular context.
We campaign on a wide range of topics where religious privilege impacts public life. For over years we have campaigned for disestablishment, the separation of the C of E and state. Over organisations and individuals have called for the release of an Iranian blogger imprisoned for 'blasphemy'.
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